Yusuke Urameshi: Soul Reaper
by EdgeyvonKarma
Summary: Yusuke Urameshi is dead. The unusual circumstances around his death have led Soul Reaper Rukia Kuchiki to offer a second chance at life. But as Yusuke learns about the supernatural, he makes a decision. He will join the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and fight to protect his friends and family from evil, no matter what form it might take.
1. Chapter 1: The Death

The little boy was crying. He sat in the middle of the street, sobbing loudly and staring at the boy next to him. That boy was older, with dark black hair that had been styled with hair gel. The older boy was lying face down on the pavement, motionless. The little boy feared for the older boy's life, knowing that he was the only reason that the older boy was hit by the car in the first place.

The driver got out of his car and ran to the two boys. More grownups were running toward them from the sidewalk. The little boy heard them talking, arguing about what to do and whose fault it was. He could hear sirens approaching. An ambulance was coming.

Sure enough, a group of doctors ran up to the scene. The other grownups started to walk away while the doctors talked to the driver. A friendly looking doctor took the little boy's hand and led him to the ambulance, promising to fix him up at the hospital. The little boy watched the other doctors life up the older boy and place him on a table with wheels. The little boy wished desperately for the older boy to wake up as the doctors pulled a blanket over his eyes.

And so it was. The older boy's name is Yusuke Urameshi. He's fourteen years old, and he's supposed to be the hero of this story. But oddly enough, he's dead.

* * *

The day that Yusuke died was quite unusual. He actually went to school. Not that he particularly enjoyed it. The other students shunned him. He wasn't sure if they hated him or feared him. Probably both. Either way, he hated them. He hated the staring, the muttering...Even the teachers hated him.

So, screw it, he decided. He wasn't going to put up with it anymore. He sneaked off to the roof of the building just before lunch for a break from it all. He was enjoying his nap before he heard the door slam. "I thought I'd find you up here, Yusuke," a girl's voice said. Yusuke opened his eyes to see a short girl with brown pigtails standing over him with her hands on her hips.

"Oh, hey Keiko," he said nonchalantly. "What's up?"

"What's up?" Keiko repeated angrily. "What's up is that you disappeared two periods ago! You need to attend classes!"

"What do you care?" Yusuke asked dismissively. "They're not your grades."

"I'm the class rep!" Keiko said indignantly. "It's my job to care about these things." She turned around angrily and added, "Honestly, between you and Kuwabara, I don't know why I bother.

"That's a nice uniform you're wearing," Yusuke said.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "All the girls have to wear this. Speaking of which, your uniform is wrong. Boys are supposed to wear blue jumpsuits in the high school. You're still wearing the green middle school jumpsuit."

"A _very_ nice uniform," Yusuke repeated. Keiko felt Yusuke lift up her skirt to look at her underwear. She whirled around and slapped him. Yusuke stumbled backward, grinning. "Yusuke, you jerk!" she screamed as Yusuke walked back into the building. Keiko screamed in frustration and stamped her foot.

"Keiko? You okay?" a voice asked. Keiko looked around and saw a girl with long red hair standing at the door that led back into the building.

"Orihime," Keiko said, embarrassed. "What are you doing here?"

Orihime held up a lunch box. "I wanted a quiet place to eat my lunch. Since Tatsuki's away at the national championships and all."

"Oh," Keiko said. "Yeah. Right. Yeah, I'm fine. I was just talking to Yusuke, that's all."

"Yes, I saw him earlier," Orihime said brightly. "Does this mean he's coming back to school now? I sure hope so, things are boring are here without him."

"I don't think his brand of entertainment is worth the trouble," Keiko said, laughing. "So, do you want to eat lunch with me since Tatsuki's away?"

"Sure!" Oihime practically jumped for joy. "You wanna try my pineapple-nutmeg-green tea curry?"

"Er, that's okay," Keiko said nervously. She fought the urge to make a face at the sound of Orihime's revolting concoction. "I don't want to spoil my own lunch. So how was your weekend?"

* * *

Yusuke's unusual day continued after he left Keiko behind on the roof. He wandered through the school, looking for a new quiet place to finish his lunch period. Like always, the other kids shrank back with fear, and the teachers eyed him suspiciously. Yusuke frowned. He didn't mind people being afraid of him – better that than be seen as a wimp – but the way the teachers looked at him pissed him off. They were just expecting him to cause trouble. Then they had the nerve to act surprised and disappointed whenever something happened. _Those damn adults are all the same,_ Yusuke thought. _Just abusing their power. I hate them all._

Yusuke's wanderings eventually took him to an old toolshed near the school's baseball field. He leaned against the wall of the shed and sighed, mentally debating whether coming back to school was worth the trouble. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard voices on the other side of the shed.

"I cant believe the little pansy actually gave you his wallet."

"Yeah, it was easy! He tried to fight back, but all I had to say was that I was Yusuke Urameshi's cousin and the little punk couldn't get away fast enough."

Yusuke grunted angrily and started walking around the shed as the first voice asked, "But what are you going to do if Urameshi actually finds out what you did?"

"Who cares?" the thief asked glibly. He fanned himself with the stolen wallet as Yusuke turned the corner. "He'd probably find it funny." The thief laughed but his friend had noticed Yusuke standing behind him and froze in terror, his mouth hanging open stupidly. "What are you staring at?" the thief asked. He turned around slowly and then suddenly screamed and fell backward upon seeing Yusuke.

"Well, if it isn't my dear cousin!" Yusuke said sarcastically. He took a step forward and watched the two boys scramble backward frantically. Idiots. "It's been way too long! Come over here and give me a hug!"

"I'm so sorry," the thief babbled. Yusuke had barely walked three steps before the boy's back was up against the wall. He held up the stolen wallet, hands trembling, and said, "Here, take it. It's all yours. Just please let me go."

Yusuke slammed his hand against the wall, just inches away from the boy's face. The thief flinched as Yusuke leaned in and asked, "Do you really think this problem can be solved with _money?_ You insulted my reputation!" The boy whimpered and dropped the money as Yusuke wound up for a punch.

"What's going on here?" a gravelly voice asked angrily. Yusuke turned and saw that the other boy had run off and came back with Mr. Iwamoto. Iwamoto was Yusuke's least favorite teacher, and he suspected that the feeling was mutual. Iwamoto noticed the walled on the ground and said, "I see. Urameshi's trying to steal your wallet. Not surprising, considering who we're dealing with. Now, Urameshi, put the poor boy down before I call the police."

Yusuke considered telling Iwamoto the truth, but decided against it. He knew that Iwamoto – and all the other teachers, for that matter – thought he was a violent criminal, and there was nothing he could do to convince them otherwise. He swore under his breath and stormed off, leaving Iwamoto to "console his victims."

Fed up with being treated like dirt, Yusuke strode right to the school's main gate. He was just about to leave the school grounds when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw his homeroom teacher Mr. Takenaka, a sad look on his face.

"Are you leaving us now, Yusuke?" he asked. "It had been so long since the last time you came to school. I was hoping you would stay for the whole day."

"No way," Yusuke said angrily. "Why would I stay where I'm not wanted?"

"Whoever said you weren't wanted here?" Takenaka asked.

"Who actually would want me around?" Yusuke shouted. "The other kids are all afraid of me, and all the teachers keep looking at me like I'm a punk."

"And your plan is to prove them right?" Takenaka asked pointedly. "Because if you walk out that gate, you'll only be hurting yourself. Everyone else will just feel vindicated."

"What do I care what they think?" Yusuke scoffed.

"If you don't care, then why are you running away from their judgment?" Takenaka retorted.

Yusuke didn't answer right away. He thought about Takenaka's question. Was he running away? He shook his head angrily and snapped, "Don't try to act like you care about me! You just see me as some charity case! You want to change me into some goody two-shoes so you can show off how great you are!"

Yusuke turned and started to walk away. He didn't get far before Takenaka grabbed his arm. "Please don't go, Yusuke!" he said desperately. "You're only making things worse for yourself!" Yusuke ignored him, shook his hand off, and ran off.

* * *

With nowhere else to really go after leaving school early, Yusuke made his way home. The small apartment he shared with his mother was a dump. Trash – food wrappers and alcohol bottles mostly – was strewn about the floor of each and every room. His mother had even left empty bottles of whiskey on the bathroom floor. All the clutter made the already small apartment feel even more cramped. His mother was sitting on the couch when he opened the door, watching TV and smoking a cigarette.

"Well, it it isn't the mother of the year, hard at work to provide for her child," Yusuke said dramatically. He went over to the kitchen, hoping to find something to drink other than booze.

"And if it isn't my pride and joy, back home from another hard day of hitting the books," his mother deadpanned. "Why aren't you at school?"

Yusuke sighed and grabbed a can of cola. "I didn't feel like sticking around. They keep annoying me."

"If you're not going to go to school, then you might as well start looking for a job," his mother said. She still hadn't turned away from the TV. "God knows I could use some help paying the bills."

"Yeah, you're working _really_ hard," Yusuke shot back. "Changing the channel must be _so_ difficult."

"Cut the crap," his mother growled. She sounded irritated. "You know I work nights. And you need to keep going to school. It's the only way you're ever going to have anything close to a good life later."

Yusuke shouted back, "More like the only way you can think of to get me out of your hair. You don't care about my future! You just want to be able to drink and smoke and party without having to worry about me!"

"Oh, you have it all figured out, do you?" his mother shouted back. Finally, she turned to look at him. "Yes, Yusuke, I _hate_ you. I hate you _so_ much I gave you a place to live, food to eat, clothes to wear, and advice to ignore!"

"Don't act so high and mighty!" Yusuke yelled. "You want a prize for doing your job as a parent? You're only doing the bare minimum, Mom."

"Any time I try to do more for you, you shut me out," his mother retorted. "You never even let me try to help you."

"Who'd want help from an alcoholic dropout like you?" Yusuke asked "I don't need your train wreck becoming my life, too."

"No, you don't," his mother agreed. "You're too busy building up your own train wreck!" She was on her feet now, screaming at the top of her lungs. _At least she's finally looking at me,_ Yusuke thought. _Now she can watch me leave._ His mother didn't try to stop him as he slammed the door behind him.

* * *

Yusuke threw the soda can harder than he should have. He realized that when the trash can he threw it at fell over from the force of his throw. He stormed down the street, grumbling to himself. "Stupid Keiko," he muttered. "Stupid teachers. Stupid Mom. Today's turning out to be a real pain in the ass." He ranted like this for a while as he wandered the streets of Karakura Town. He passed a group of workers preparing a set for the evening's upcoming shoot of _Spirit Hunter_. When he reached the street corner, he saw a group of boys jump out from behind a poster of the show's star Don Kannonji and blocked his path. Three of the boys were so ordinary that Yusuke had trouble remembering their names. The other two boys were much more memorable to him.

The first boy was notable for being a seven-foot tall giant of a boy. His skin was incredibly dark, too dark to be fully Japanese. His curly brown hair covered his eyes. He wore a gold medallion around his neck, and sported a tattoo of a winged heart on his shoulder. Yusuke knew his name: Yasutora Sado, though because of a teacher misreading the kanji of his name on the first day of school, he was more commonly known as Chad.

The other boy was also from Yusuke's school. He was still wearing the school uniform, even though classes had ended for the day. He had red hair styled to look like a pompadour that he had first seen in a magazine. His smile was probably meant to look like a cocky smile, but Yusuke thought it looked a goofy grin. "Urameshi," the red-haired boy said confidently. "It's been a while."

"Hey, Kuwabara, you're conscious," Yusuke said. "That's a surprise."

Kuwabara flushed and ran up to Yusuke, grabbing his shirt by the collar. "That was a cheap shot last time and you know it," he shouted, his confident demeanor broken. "This time I'm going to pound you into the dirt for sure!"

"Here we go again," one of the other boys said.

"How many times has Kuwabara lost to Urameshi before?" another asked.

"Ninety-five," Chad grunted. "I don't understand why he keeps going."

"Shut up, you guys!" Kuwabara shouted over his shoulder, sounding even more flustered than before. Idiot. "I got this one!"

Yusuke grabbed Kuwabara's wrists. "I beg to differ," he said softly. He spun around and pulled, flipping Kuwabara over his shoulder. Kuwabara jumped back to his feet and threw a punch at Yusuke, loudly bellowing a battle cry. Yusuke yawned and took a step backward, easily avoiding his obviously telegraphed punch. He watched Kuwabara stumble forward and waited for him to turn around and face him before punching him in the stomach. He followed up the punch with a kick to Kuwabara's face. Kuwabara did not get up off the ground this time.

"Thanks for the workout, Kuwabara!" Yusuke said cheerfully. "It really cheered me up." He turned to Chad and the others and waved. "See you around, guys!" he said before continuing his walk.

"Thanks makes ninety-six losses," Chad said stoically. "And zero wins."

Kuwabara struggled back up to his feet and clenched his fists. "I almost had him that time," he said determinedly. "Next time I'll win for sure."

"You're an inspiration, boss!" the other boys said. Chad shrugged and started walking away. Kuwabara noticed Chad leaving them behind and shouted, "Wait, Chad, don't go! We were supposed to go get the new Megallica CD together!"

* * *

After his little meet up with Kuwabara – he refused to call that pathetic showing a fight – Yusuke found himself walking in the direction of the local arcade. The workout helped him relieve a lot of stress, and he was now feeling significantly more cheerful. He actually caught himself whistling a happy tune as he approached a young boy playing soccer on the sidewalk. When the boy's ball rolled into the street, Yusuke rushed forward and pushed him to the ground. Picking up the ball off the asphalt, he walked over to the little boy and yelled, "Don't be stupid, kid! Do you wanna be hit by a car?"

The boy whimpered and flinched. Yusuke softened. This was just a little kid after all, he realized. Yelling wasn't going to anything but scar him for life. The little boy stared at him, looking like he was about to cry. Thinking quickly, Yusuke held the ball up in front of his face. When he lowered it again, he was making a funny face. Once he was sure that the boy had noticed, he lifted up the ball again and lowered it, revealing a different funny face. He repeated this several times, making a different face each time until the boy began to laugh.

Satisfied, Yusuke held out the ball for the little boy. "Thanks, mister," the boy said, taking the ball from Yusuke's hands.

"Just remember not to play so close to the street, okay?" Yusuke said. The boy promised and Yusuke started walking toward the arcade again. He started whistling to himself again. _No matter what else is screwed up with my life, at least I can make kids happy_ , he thought.

And then he felt a strange sensation. It was difficult to describe. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He felt a peculiar tingle up and down his spine. Even though it was a cheerful spring day, he was cold and started to shiver. It became significantly harder to breathe. Something was wrong. Yusuke whirled around. At first, nothing seemed unusual. The little boy was still playing with his soccer ball, though this time he _was_ several feet away from the edge of the sidewalk. Nothing to worry about. But then, Yusuke saw...something. He wasn't sure what it was exactly. It was impossible to really make out anything distinctive. It was more of a shimmer than anything else. A really, really big shimmer.

Weirdly, nobody else seemed to notice the shimmer that was hanging around the little boy. People just walked by, completely oblivious to the unknown entity. Yusuke watched nervously as it started to move. The shimmer paused as the soccer ball rolled towards it. Then, without warning, the shimmer moved and the soccer ball flew flew through the air, landing in the middle of the street. Realizing what was going to happen next, Yusuke cried out and sprinted after the little boy.

Yusuke never saw the car coming, though he did hear it. He was aware of the pain caused by the impact, but he didn't really feel it. All he felt was relief when he saw the boy sitting on the ground, crying. There was a bright blue flash behind the little boy, and the shimmer seemed to dissolve. _At least he'll be alright,_ he thought. He didn't have time to wonder what the shimmer or the flash that dissolved it was, though. Everything just went black.

* * *

The next thing he knew, Yusuke was standing next to his own dead body. He looked around the strange room he found himself in. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all white. His dead body lay on a long table in the middle of the room. Another table – this one smaller and square-shaped – sat next to the boy, with medical equipment sitting atop it.

"I'm in a morgue," Yusuke said to himself. "And that's me on the table? Then that means...I must be dead."

"That's right," a voice said behind him. Yusuke turned around and saw a strange girl looking at him. She seemed to be sizing him up. She had raven-black hair, with a few bangs hanging in front of her eyes, and she was wearing a traditional-looking robe. As if that weren't weird enough, a freaking _sword_ was hanging from her belt. "I'm impressed," she said. "Most Wholes don't put it together so quickly. Usually there's a period of denial."

"Yeah, I'm real impressive," Yusuke replied. "Name's Yusuke Urameshi. Who are you?"

The girl tilted her hand and looked puzzled. "Your untimely death doesn't trouble you?" she asked.

Yusuke shrugged. "Everyone's gotta go sometime," he said. "It sucks, yeah, but moping about isn't gonna change anything. So, you gonna tell me your name or not?"

The girl gave a small smile. "My name is Rukia Kuchiki," she said. "I'm a Soul Reaper."

Yusuke nodded. "Okay, great!" he said. "That sounds like an important job."

"It is," Rukia agreed. "I am responsible for helping Whole spirits such as yourself cross over to the afterlife in the Soul Society, as well as purifying evil spirits called Hollows that try to devour Wholes and humans with high spiritual pressure."

"Wow," Yusuke said sarcastically. "That's amazing. And _totally_ believable. Along with flying pigs and the tooth fairy!"

Before Yusuke knew what happened next, he was on the ground and his cheek hurt. Rukia had actually punched him. He wasn't expecting that kind of reaction at all from someone as seemingly professional as her. "What's so hard to believe about this?" she asked nonchalantly. She didn't even acknowledge that she had just punched him. "You already know that you're dead, yet you're still here. How can anything be far-fetched after that?"

"Just because I'm a ghost or whatever doesn't mean that your Soul Reaper story is anything but nonsense!" Yusuke yelled. "There's no proof!"

"Proof!?" Rukia shouted back indignantly. "The shihakusho and the zanpakuto aren't proof enough?"

"For all I know, you're the ghost of someone who died on Halloween," Yusuke retorted. Rukia glared at him as he added, "Besides, there's no way someone as young as you is in charge of reaping souls or whatever."

"I may look to be your age," Rukia explained, "but in actuality I am over one thousand years old. Being a creature of pure spirit means that I age at a slower rate than mortal humans."

"You have an explanation for everything don't you?" Yusuke asked dismissively. He sighed and shrugged. "Whatever. I'll play along. Does that mean you're here to help me cross over and junk?"

"Well, that acually depends on what you want," Rukia answered. "You're in a rather unique situation right now."

"Oh, yeah?" Yusuke asked. "How so?"

"To put it bluntly, your death was not supposed to happen," Rukia explained. "Someone with your demeanor and history was never expected to selflessly give their life like you did."

"Oh give me a break!" Yusuke shouted. "You mean you expected me to just let that kid die?"

"Actually..." Rukia hesitated, but then she sighed. "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but if you had chosen not to intervene, the driver would have swerved and the boy would have survived the encounter without sustaining any injuries."

Yusuke gaped at her. "In other words, my death was completely pointless," he said. Rukia watched him curiously as he thought that over. "Just my stupid luck, I guess," he finally said, a small smile forming on his face. "At least the kid is okay."

"Yes, he was recently released from the hospital," Rukia said. "Everything worked out well on that front. But that still leaves the question of what to do with you."

"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked.

"As I said earlier, you weren't supposed to die today," Rukia answered. "And now the bureaucrats in the Soul Society are in a bit of a predicament; namely, your place. It simply hasn't been prepared yet."

"Does that mean I'm stuck wandering around as a ghost?" Yusuke asked.

Rukia shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous. The Soul Society wouldn't do something so irresponsible as to leave you on your own unsupervised. There'd be the risk of you turning into a Hollow. As it happens, you have a choice: you can cross over now and wait at a government facility to receive your soul's judgment. Or you can face an ordeal to earn a second chance at life."

"I'll pass," Yusuke said immediately. "I'm not interested in getting my life back."

Rukia blinked. "Really? Why not?" she asked, clearly taken aback by Yusuke's response.

"I wouldn't be doing anyone any favors by coming back," Yusuke explained. "All the kids at school are afraid of me, and the teachers all hate me. Keiko would be glad that she has one less thing to do as class rep. Kuwabara would be glad that there's no one else to challenge his status as the toughest kid in school. And my mom would be glad that she can party all she wants without having to stop to take care of me."

Rukia looked at him with a strange mix of pity and revulsion on her face. "Do you really think so little of yourself?" she asked.

"What I think of myself doesn't matter," Yusuke said. "That's simply the way it is."

"If that's what you really think," Rukia said, "then why not go to your wake tonight. Prove your theory for me. I'll help you cross over afterward."

* * *

The first thing that Yusuke noticed was the sheer number of people attending his wake. It looked like the whole school was there. _Did so many people really come for_ my _wake?_ he thought to himself. It was a touching, bittersweet moment that lasted for about five seconds. That's how long it took for him to notice the laughter. He floated down from the sky for a closer look. Everyone was smiling. "Those jerks are actually celebrating my death!" he said angrily to Rukia. "Probably just here for extra credit."

"If that's all you see, then you aren't paying attention, Yusuke," Rukia replied. "There is a distinctive sense of grief in the air. You should be able to feel it, too."

"I don't feel a damn thing," Yusuke said stubbornly. "Nothing except vindication. Look around, Soul Reaper. Nobody misses me here."

"Not here," Rukia agreed. "Inside." She pointed to the entrance to the funeral home itself. Yusuke shrugged and walked through the wall and into the building. Rukia followed him through the halls into the room where his body bing held.

His body was sitting on a low table inside a closed casket. A framed photograph of him sat atop the casket. His mother sat on a cushion next to the casket, quietly ignoring the condolences that were offered her by the other "mourners." These mourners approached the casket in small groups to pay their respects. Most of them only stayed for a few seconds. Their respects mostly amounted to a quick nod and a suppressed chuckle.

Then Keiko and Orihime approached the casket and actually knelt. Keiko quietly listened while Orihime talked to the casket. "Hi, Yusuke," she said. Her usual cheeriness felt forced. "Everyone keeps talking about how surprised they were that you saved a little boy's life. I'm not, though. That's always been the kind of person you were. I mean, remember how we first met? That guy on the train that was trying to touch me? You didn't even hesitate. That creep was on the floor before I even knew what was happening. And then, you didn't even want me to thank you. You said something like 'I didn't like his face, so I broke it.' You were trying to sound touch, but I know that you really wanted to protect me. I've always appreciated it.

"Come to think of it, pretty much every fight you've ever been in was you standing up for somebody. That's probably why you and Chad got along, even though he's one of Kuwabara's friends. You both love to defend the helpless. Not that you would ever admit it, of course.

"I've never told you this, but I've always looked forward to the days that you would actually come to school. It was kind of fun watching you beat up the jerks there. That's not a good thing to admit, is it? Am I a bad person?" She giggled, but her eyes still looked sad. "I'm really going to miss you, Yusuke," she said, her voice cracking. She turned and bowed respectfully to Yusuke's mother before hurrying out of the room.

Keiko stayed behind. She finally lifted her head to look at the casket. She had been crying. She opened her mouth to try to say something, but all that came out was a sob. She swallowed and tried again, but she burst into tears instead. Still sobbing and wailing, she ran out of the room.

Yusuke watched the next group of mourners in silence. He was stunned. Everyone else was acting so fake. They claimed to mourn him while they secretly smiled at his death. But Keiko and Orihime...they were the only real ones there. Keiko made a little bit of sense. They had grown up together. They used to be close once upon a time. It was still surprising to him, but Yusuke could understand why Keiko's grief was genuine. But Orihime? He couldn't even remember the last time he had spoken more than two words to her. They barely knew each other. Did that one event on the train – something Yusuke couldn't even remember happening, he found it so insignificant – have that great an effect on her? Did he really matter that much to her?

A clatter in the hallway outside brought Yusuke out of his reverie. Someone was shouting, "I don't care! Get out of my way!" Some indistinct voices tried to plead with him, but he shouted, "I have to see him now!"

Yusuke's jaw dropped. Kuwabara was striding into the room. His friends struggled to hold him back, but they simply did not have enough strength between the three of them. "So, you decided to chicken out of our fight, eh, Urameshi?" he bellowed as he dragged the other boys with him. "I'm not surprised! But I am pissed!" He was halfway to the casket now, a mad look in his eyes. People were starting to back away.

"Kuwabara, this is a wake," one of his friends said helplessly.

"Darn you!" Kuwabara shouted. "You're no man. A real man doesn't run away from a fight, even when he knows he can't win. You strut around acting like some big shot, and then you have the nerve to up and die before I beat you up?" He had reached the casket at that point. He fell to his knees and slammed his fists on the wood. "You're supposed to be here!" he shouted. "Otherwise, what am I supposed to do with myself now!?"

He continued to punch the casket, ranting all the while. His friends tried to pull him away, but he threw them off his back every time. Finally Chad strode into the room, grabbed Kuwabara by his shirt collar, and picked him up off the floor. "That's enough," he said gently. "You've dishonored both Yusuke and yourself. We're leaving." He carried Kuwabara out of the room. The other three boys apologized for the chaos and offerred their condolences before hurrying after them.

Now Yusuke was really confused. Keiko and Orihime, but Kuwabara too? Why would anyone miss someone who beat the crap out of him every day?

"The nerve of that hooligan," a voice behind Yusuke said. He turned and saw two of the teachers kneeling in front of the casket. The speaker, a rat-faced man named Mr. Akashi, continued, "Who do you suppose he was, anyway?"

"Just another delinquent," Iwamoto answered. "I'm pretty sure he's in your class, actually. Not that he shows up for school often enough to remember."

"Ah, yes, that's right," Akashi whispered back. "I remember now. The moron thought that Cancun was the capital of Canada. It seems like he was a friend of Urameshi's."

"Of course he was," Iwamoto hissed. "They're both thugs. Probably terrorized the city together in their free time."

Akashi snickered. "Between you and me, Mr. Iwamoto, I don't believe that Yusuke meant to protect that child from the car at all," he said. "I think he was trying to steal the poor boy's lunch money."

"You know what, Mr. Akashi?" Iwamoto chuckled. "I think you're right."

Yusuke had heard enough. He reached out to grab Iwamoto's shoulder, ready to punch the teacher in the jaw. However, he had forgotten that he was a ghost. His hand went right through Iwamoto's shoulder. Yusuke swore angrily and was about to stubbornly try again, when someone else's hand grabbed Iwamoto's shoulder. Yusuke and the two teachers turned around to see Mr. Takenaka glaring at them. "Which do you think is more disgraceful?" he asked. "That boy's heartbroken outburst or your distateful words?"

Takenaka didn't give them a chance to answer as he shoved Iwamoto aside. The other two teachers hurried out of the room, looking suitably embarrassed. Takenaka knelt in front of the casket and said, "I must admit, Yusuke, I was surprised when I heard the news. I didn't know you were capable of being so selfless. I'm incredibly proud that you were ready to step up and do the right thing, without any thought about yourself." He swallowed, and tears started running down his face. "Is it wrong for me to wish that you hadn't, though? Why didn't you stay at school? You could have made something of yourself!"

"Takenaka..." Yusuke muttered. He was unable to say anything else. He wasn't sure if ghosts could cry, but he had a feeling he would find out soon at this rate.

"Yusuke," his mother whispered. It was the first time she had moved, let alone spoke. Yusuke rushed past the mourners and knelt at his mother's side. "Yusuke," she said again. She sounded so defeated. So lifeless. "I'm sorry, Yusuke," she whispered. "Don't leave me."

"Mom," Yusuke said. "Mom, I'm right here." He tried to put his arms around her, but his hug had no impact. He just went right through her.

"Yusuke, I'm so sorry," she said. "I know I wasn't a good mother to you. I knew I couldn't give you the life you deserved. And I know that the last thing I said to you was awful. But I love you, Yusuke. I love you so much. And I promise I'll do better. Just please don't leave me all alone."

"I love you, too, Mom," Yusuke whispered. Now he had his answer. Ghosts couldn't cry. No matter how badly he wanted to. "Don't blame yourself," he said. He knew his mother couldn't hear him, but he felt like he had to say this now. "You were right. I was ruining my life. If anyone should be apologizing, it's me."

Yusuke stood up. "Are you still there, Soul Reaper?" he asked. Rukia stepped out of the shadows and stood before him. "Good," he said determinedly. "I've made my decision. I want to earn my life back."

Rukia nodded and said. "Come with me. There's someone in the Soul Society you need to meet."

"Right," Yusuke said, following her out of the funeral home. "I've had enough of this place."

 **Author's Note: So, this is my first crossover fic, and I'm really excited about this. It was really fun to write, and I can't wait to write more scenes with Kuwabara and Chad, I think they'd have a real bromance.**

 **Anyway, this is a bit longer than chapters I write for my other two fanfics. That's because I plan to update this sporadically. Well, more sporadically than I update my other fics. So, I'm gonna make the chapters longer to compensate. Feel free to leave your reviews, and I hope you like the adventures of Yusuke Urameshi: Soul Reaper.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Soul Society

Yusuke followed Rukia out of the funeral home and through the streets of Karakura Town in silence. She was too focused on her cell phone to talk while Yusuke was too focused on what he had just seen. He'd been to funerals and wakes before, so he was no stranger to mourning. But seeing the grief on someone's face and knowing that he was the cause was something else entirely. _Figures,_ he told himself, _all my life I've been causing people pain. Why should my death be anything different?_

Rukia stopped suddenly, and Yusuke walked right into her. The two of them toppled to the ground and landed in a heap. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Rukia yelled, shoving Yusuke off of her. "Don't you ever look where you're going?"

"Where I'm going?" Yusuke shot back. "What kind of person just stops in the middle of leading someone without warning?"

"Nobody said you had to walk directly behind me, you moron!" Rukia shouted.

"You're lecturing me about looking where I'm going and meanwhile you're staring at your phone while walking! Hypocrite!"

"Hey, without this we wouldn't be able to safely reach the Soul Society!" Rukia shouted back. Yusuke stopped yelling as she held up her phone. "Traveling between the Soul Society and the World of the Living is dangerous," she explained, her voice now calm. "We're going to be moving from one plane of reality to another, and if anything goes wrong, we can be left trapped in the limbo between dimensions. And it only gets more complicated when you add more than one travelers' spirit energyto the equation."

"But what would that have to do with your phone?" Yusuke asked.

"Most humans have negligible amounts of spirit energy, but there are a few in your area that have more substantial levels," she answered. "This device enables me to, among other things, track strong sources of spiritual pressure. That way, I can find an area to safely create a portal away from their complicating influence."

"All right," Yusuke said, hiding his embarrassment with a nonchalant tone. "But do you have Goblin City?"

"Very amusing," Rukia said, not sounding amused in the slightest. Yusuke, half expected her to punch him again. But instead she said, "Stand back." As Yusuke took several steps backward, she held up her hands and started muttering something under her breath that Yusuke couldn't make out. When she finished, she slammed her hands to the ground impressively.

Nothing happened.

After a few seconds, Yusuke awkwardly asked, "Are you sure you're not pulling some kind of prank on me? Because if you are, it's not funny."

"Shut up and watch," Rukia snapped. "Summoning the portal takes a while, especially in areas with low spiritual pressure like this one. It's the trade off for safety."

Before Yusuke could make a retort, bright blue light erupted from the ground in a ring around Rukia. Light also appeared in front of her as a large doorway that looked like it belonged in a feudal palace rose out of the ground. Yusuke gasped, open-mouthed, the very tall door rose up and slowly slid open. Nothing was visible inside the doorway other than blackness. "I take it that's the portal, then?" Yusuke said, trying to sound casual.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Rukia asked playfully. "A bit of advice," she added, her serious tone returning. "Stay close to me if you don't want your soul to be destroyed." With that, she ran through the doorway before Yusuke could come up with a clever response. Yusuke grumbled under his breath and ran after her.

* * *

The passage beyond the door was pitch black. When the doors slammed shut behind him, Yusuke was left unable to see anything around him. The air around him felt heavy, as if it might crush him at the first sign of his muscles relaxing. Rukia was long gone. As far as he could tell, he had been abandoned in the dark abyss. "Typical," he muttered. "She gives me a warning and then leaves me for...well, not exactly dead, I guess, but still!"

"If you're done whining," Rukia's voice echoed around him. "You need to focus. Your spiritual pressure is fluctuating wildly. Unless you calm down soon, you'll end up crushing yourself with your own energy."

"Thanks for the pep talk," Yusuke said. "That's _very_ calming." Rukia said nothing as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. After a few minutes, he felt his heartbeat return to normal. Feeling as relaxed as he'd ever be in this oppressive air, he opened his eyes to see Rukia standing in front of him, the only thing visible in the darkness. "How come I couldn't see you before?" Yusuke asked.

"Because your spirit awareness is subpar," Rukia explained. "And with your panicked emotional state earlier, the little awareness you do have couldn't be channeled properly."

"Is that right?" Yusuke asked, consciously ignoring the insulting way she had answered his question. He was beginning to suspect that she couldn't help it. "Well, I can see you now. Lead on."

They walked together through the dark void in silence. At first, Yusuke struggled to keep up with Rukia's brisk pace. The air around him felt so dense that he might as well have been trying to walk while submerged in gelatin and was wearing shoes made of cement. Every inch gained was a victory in an arduous battle of will. Yusuke was certain that he was going to get left behind. But still, he pressed on, too stubborn to give up. Keeping Rukia in sight, he fought through the forces that were holding him back. Soon enough, he found that the pressure he had been feeling on him had long since ebbed away, and he was eventually walking side by side with Rukia.

"Good," she said approvingly. "Your body is adapting to the high spiritual pressure of the senkaimon. You'll have no problem at all dealing with the atmosphere in the Soul Society now."

"What's gonna happen when we get there?" Yusuke asked.

"I'm taking you to meet Head Captain Genryusai Yamamoto," Rukia answered. "He is the one in charge of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads that all Soul Reapers are enlisted in. You could say that he is the Soul Society's most prominent military officer."

"So why would such a big shot give a damn about me?" Yusuke asked suspiciously. "Shouldn't he have more important things to worry about than me trying to earn my life back?"

"One would think," Rukia agreed. "But it seems he's taken an interest in your case. When I received my orders to collect you just after your death, they specifically stated that I was to bring you directly to the head captain in the event that you chose to undergo the ordeal."

"I get it!" Yusuke declared angrily. "The whole thing is a charity case to him. Just a chance for him to earn some quick PR points to show off what a great job he's doing so he can suck up for a promotion!" He grit his teeth angrily. "Guys like that just piss me off."

Rukia turned on the spot and punched Yusuke in the jaw. "That's awfully presumptuous of you," she scolded, "considering you haven't even met the head captain yet."

"That's the second time today you've hit me," Yusuke grumbled. "I'm starting to think you might not like me very much." Rukia snorted and rolled her eyes. She turned and continued walking through the void. Yusuke followed her, adding, "Is this the part where you tell me what a stand up guy this head captain really is?"

"Why would I?" Rukia asked. "Nothing I say is going to convince you. You hate authority so much, you'd rather assume the worst of any official with no regard for any other possibility."

"You've never met him either, have you?" Yusuke said.

Rukia blushed and stammered, "W-what does that have to do with anything? Everyone knows that one cannot rise to the position of head captain without proving to be a model of integrity and strength."

"Yeah, they used to say that about politicians in the World of the Living," Yusuke deadpanned. "Those words don't really mean much, you know." Rukia didn't say anything. She looked like she was close to exploding with anger. Yusuke smirked. _She thinks I'm right,_ he thought. Content that he had shaken her blind faith in the system for at least a little while, he shrugged and said, "Well, whatever. It doesn't really matter why your head captain is offering me an ordeal for my life. I'm still gonna take the chance to come back to life. Everybody wins, right?"

"Uh, yes," Rukia said, sounding distracted. "Well, prepare yourself," she added, coming to a stop. She reached out and pulled open a door that Yusuke couldn't even see. Light was filtering in through the doorway. "We've arrived."

* * *

Rukia had described the Soul Society as some sort of utopia where lost souls lived forever, wanting for nothing. To hear her tell it, one would even believe that the residents of the Soul Society didn't even have to worry about food or drink, they were so content. When he finally saw it up close, however, Yusuke was less than impressed.

He wasn't sure what he expected, really. Pearly gates and halos, maybe? Or perhaps a jackal-headed god with brass scales and a feather? He'd even once imagined the afterlife as a game show host with a roulette wheel that determined your future life. But he never imagined he'd be led through a city. It made sense, he supposed. Billions upon billions of souls all need to go somewhere, why not a mega-city? But why did it have to look like it came straight out of a history book? Everyone was wearing old-school robes, and he couldn't see anything resembling modern technology no matter where he looked. He wasn't sure what period it reminded him of – Keiko would probably know, but to him they all sort of blended together – but he knew it definitely had a pre-electricity vibe to it. Which probably meant no video games. "Some paradise," he muttered to himself. "If there's no Goblin City, then what's the point?"

"Did you say something?" Rukia asked, stepping aside to allow a group of running children to run past. _This place is nothing if not busy,_ Yusuke thought to himself as he moved over as well. People were everywhere. Old ladies were gossiping on one stoop, a group of young men were gambling on a street corner, and a couple was sneaking around trying to find a place to make out privately.

"Nothing, really," Yusuke said hurriedly. He'd rather not get punched again, and badmouthing Soul Reapers and the Soul Society seemed to be one of her pet peeves. "I was just saying that the Soul Society wasn't quite what I expected."

"Few things in life are," Rukia answered, continuing their journey through the city.

"Did you just make a joke?" Yusuke asked, dumbfounded. "I didn't think you had it in you."

"Whatever," Rukia said wearily. _Sick of me already, huh?_ Yusuke thought. _Maybe I need to work on my people skills before I come back to life_. "Did you expect a palace with a group of angels waiting on you hand and foot, granting you anything you desire?" she added. "Don't answer that. I don't need the mental image of _your_ desires."

"What kind of guy do you think I am?" Yusuke said defensively.

"Weren't you the one that lifted that girl's skirt today?" Rukia said smugly. Yusuke didn't give her the satisfaction of answering. "The point is," she continued, "people are happy here. They have nothing to fear from disease or starvation. The only thing that could possibly harm them are other souls. And with everyone so content, nobody has a reason to hurt anybody."

"Super," Yusuke said. "I can't imagine why people are so afraid of dying. Who wouldn't want to be trapped in a living history museum for all eternity?"

"Well, when the alternatives are wandering the earth as a ghost, which is just inviting the Hollows to devour you or getting dragged into hell, most people would rather choose the Soul Society," Rukia responded.

"I bet that hell at least has internet access," Yusuke retorted. Rukia ignored that comment, and for a while they walked through the streets in silence. When Yusuke couldn't take it anymore, he blurted out, "You couldn't have dropped us off right outside the guy's office or something? My feet are killing me."

"We could have come out closer," Rukia answered. "But I wanted to give you a chance to see what life in the Soul Society was like."

"You thought I would back out of this ordeal if I got to see the Renaissance Fair here?" Yusuke asked incredulously. "You do realize that I'm not trying to go back to my life for me, right? You were at the same wake I was, weren't you?"

"Look, it's just..." her voice trailed off. What was that look on her face supposed to mean? Was she nervous? What would she have to be nervous about? "I just wanted to make sure you were certain, alright? The process is called an ordeal for a reason, after all."

"Whatever it is, I can handle it," Yusuke said stubbornly. "This is just something that I gotta do, Rukia. Now are you gonna take me where I need to go, or am I gonna have to get to this Head Captain guy by myself?"

"No," Rukia said, giving a small smile. "I'll take you to him. Follow me."

* * *

According to Rukia, Yusuke wasn't even in the right area of the Soul Society if he wanted to meet Head Captain Yamamoto. Rukia had taken him to the city where souls that had moved on live, a place called the Rukon District, albeit it was near the center, where the Soul Reapers lived. That area, apparently, was called the Seireitei, and served as the seat of government for the Soul Society. The Seireitei was a giant walled-off circle, and, once they were allowed inside by a giant – like taller than Tokyo Tower – Soul Reaper named Jidanbo, impressed Yusuke even less than the Rukon District outside.

"It's even more boring on the inside," he deadpanned, as Rukia led him through the maze of streets. He had no idea how she knew where she was going. Yusuke tried to keep a mental map of where he was going – left, right, right, left, middle fork, left – but it was no use. He was getting very dizzy very quickly. As far as he could tell, every street was identical. The roads were always made of neatly arranged cobblestones. There were always high walls on either side of them, occasionally broken up by old looking buildings.

Every so often, they passed by a group of Soul Reapers, all wearing black robes and carrying swords just like Rukia, heading in another direction, or standing around and talking. Yusuke noticed that some of them were wearing badges on their arms that had different symbols than the one on Rukia's arm. "The badge indicates which squad they belong to," Rukia explained when he brought this up. "I am a member of Squad 13."

"Indeed she is," a voice said to their left. They turned, and saw a Soul Reaper walking in their direction. His long red hair went halfway down his back, and he had bright, piercing green eyes. His facial features, though, were fairly androgynous. If it weren't for his deep and clearly masculine voice, Yusuke might have thought he was a girl. "One of the best members of Squad 13, if you ask me."

"Lieutenant Kurama," Rukia said, snapping to attention almost immediately. She quickly and respectfully bowed low, though she wasn't fast enough to stop Yusuke from noticing her blushing face. _Guess she appreciated the compliment,_ Yusuke thought, snickering.

"You can relax, Rukia," Kurama said, smiling awkwardly. "I've never been one to stand on ceremony, after all."

"Uh, right," Rukia said, straightening up. Her blush was gone now. "Lieutenant, this is Yusuke Urameshi. Head Captain Yamamoto wants to see him."

"Really?" Kurama asked. _If he's surprised, he's doing a damn good job of hiding it,_ Yusuke thought. Kurama was still just smiling politely. "I was wondering what a civilian would be doing in the Seireitei. The Head Captain wouldn't see just anyone. I wonder what makes this one so special."

"I jumped in front of a car to save a kid," Yusuke said. "My death happened ahead of schedule, and now I get to try for a second chance at life." Rukia slapped him on the back of the head. Yusuke stumbled forward, before whirling around and shouting, "What the hell was that for!?"

"The nature of your case is classified, you moron!" she shouted back. "Why on earth would you tell the first person you see?"

"Classified?" Yusuke yelled. "You never told me it was classified!"  
"Use your brain, dummy! If people knew that you were getting a second chance, then everyone would want one!"

"Yeah? Well, if you wanna keep it a secret, maybe you should stop shouting about it!"

"Yes, he brings up a good point," Kurama said, stepping between them and gently pushing them apart. "Let's try to remain civil, shall we? We're all friends here."

"Yes, Lieutenant," Rukia said, instantaneously returning to her calm, professional self. "My apologies."

"No harm done, Rukia," Kurama said. "I'll let you go on your way, then. And don't worry, your secret is safe with me." With that, he walked past Yusuke and left. Rukia gave Yusuke a dirty look before turning around and walking in the opposite direction. Mumbling angrily to himself, Yusuke followed.

"So was that your boss?" he asked as they continued through the maze of identical boring streets.

"Not exactly," Rukia answered. Her hands were clenched into very tight fists. _She must still be angry about before,_ Yusuke thought. "Lieutenant Kurama does outrank me, but he is the lieutenant of Squad 8. Whereas I am a member of Squad 13."

"If he gave you an order, would you have to follow it?" Yusuke asked curiously.

"It would have to be exceptional circumstances for an officer to give commands to Soul Reapers outside of his squad," Rukia explained. "Typically, the squads handle their business internally. But if such circumstances were to arise that necessitated squads to work together, then he would be the one to take command if the captains of our squads were unavailable."

"What sort of circumstances we talking here?" Yusuke asked.

"An emergency," Rukia said. "Like if Hollows were to invade the Seireitei and I somehow got separated from the rest of my squad."

"Has anything like that happened before?" Yusuke asked.

"Not in my time as a Soul Reaper," Rukia answered. "The Soul Society is a safe place. Nobody would dare challenge the might of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads in their own territory. Not even the Hollows. But enough talk, Yusuke." She had stopped in front of a very large and important-looking building. "We have arrived."

* * *

Head Captain Genryusai Yamamoto looked old. Incredibly old. He was bald and wrinkled, and his long white beard was styled in a braid that nearly reached the floor. He was standing slightly hunched over, leaning on a carved wooden cane. Unlike every other Soul Reaper Yusuke had seen so far, he wasn't carrying a sword at all. Yusuke didn't think it was possible for a Soul Reaper to look so ancient and decrepit. Rukia had said that she was hundreds of years old after all, and she still looked like a teenager. Yusuke had figured that Soul Reapers just didn't physically age. But Yamamoto's appearance implied otherwise. _Maybe they just age really slowly?_ Yusuke thought. _But if that's true, then how old is this geezer?_

Rukia bowed respectfully to the Head Captain, straightened up, and said, "Sir, I have brought Yusuke Urameshi, as instructed. He wishes to brave the ordeal."

"Thank you, Kuchiki," Yamamoto said. His voice sounded stern and gravelly. "You are dismissed." Rukia bowed again and exited the room, leaving Yusuke alone with the elderly Soul Reaper. Yamamoto looked Yusuke up and down in silence. Yusuke glared back at him defiantly. He was sure that the old man was judging him, automatically labeling him as a thug just like every other adult did. His hands slowly curled into fists as his outrage over being silently inspected by a stranger grew.

"Well," Yamamoto said at last, "you are quite the interesting person, Yusuke Urameshi. Your body is full of untapped spirit energy, yet your aura is hardened and withdrawn. An unusual combination, to say the least. It seems that even though you have a great natural affinity for the paranormal, you have never even considered-"

"I'm not interested in the whole 'you're not living up to your potential' speech, old man," Yusuke interrupted, crossing his arms impatiently and leaning against the wall. "You and I both have more important things to worry about, I'm sure."

"Mind your tone, boy," Yamamoto growled. As he said this, Yusuke suddenly felt a great amount of pressure pushing down on his shoulders. He stumbled briefly, but quickly stepped forward to hide his momentary loss of balance. He knew that the old man was somehow responsible for the force trying to push him down, and he was not going to allow himself to be pushed around by another authority figure abusing his power. After a few minutes of struggling against the unknown force, Yusuke smirked and yelled, "Is that all you've got, old man? I can do this all day!"

"Is that so?" Yamamoto asked expressionlessly. A second later, Yusuke felt the pressure on his shoulders double in intensity and his knees buckled. As soon as his knees hit the floor, the pressure subsided. Yusuke collapsed onto his hands and knees, panting heavily. He had never felt anything like that before. Was this what a Soul Reaper was capable of?

"Just so that you are aware, I would like you to know that that was just a small fraction of my power," Yamamoto said. "Maybe next time, you will refrain from interrupting me."

"Tell you what," Yusuke said, pushing himself up to his feet. "You just stick to the reason we're here and skip the lectures, and I'll keep my big mouth shut until you're done. That way, I can get my life back faster, and you can go back to being the big boss man without ever having to see me again. Deal?"

"You insolent whelp!" Yamamoto bellowed. "A brat like you with so little respect for himself that he does not even realize that he is being praised does not deserve what we are offering!"  
"Hey, _you_ asked for _me_!" Yusuke shouted back. "I didn't want to put up with your crap!"

"How dare-"

"How dare I? No, how dare _you_!? How dare you use your power to attack someone just because they're a little bit rude to you! You don't care about me or my case at all, do you? This is just a way to boost your ego, a charity case that shows off what a great Head Captain you are! Isn't it?"

"If that is truly how you feel, then why are you even here?" Yamamoto asked.

"That's easy," Yusuke said. "You have what I want. It doesn't really matter to me why you're giving me a second chance, as long as I get it. So, I'll hear what you have to say about this ordeal, but I'm not going to listen to you lecture me about my potential or my attitude when you don't even know me." He pointed at Yamamoto and finished, "Let's get this straight. You're just a tool to get what I want, just like I'm a tool to get what you want. So just forget about all the other stuff and let's get down to business!"

They stood in silence for a few minutes. Yamamoto looked stunned. _Probably the first time someone ever talked to him like that,_ Yusuke thought. _Good. People like him need to get knocked down a peg or two._ Then Yamamoto turned away from Yusuke and faced a wall. "Did you hear all of that?" he said to it.

"Yes," a high voice said from behind the wall. "He is just like his file said he would be. Rash, short-tempered, disrespectful...a delinquent through and through."

"That's it!" Yusuke shouted. He ran toward the wall the voice was coming from. "I've had enough people insult me today, thank you very much!" He passed Yamamoto and kicked the wall as hard as he could. The wall shuddered, and large bits of wood fell out. A screen was mounted on a second wall hidden behind the first one, and on that screen was the image of a baby with a pacifier in his mouth and a hat that said "JR." on his head.

"I guess we can add 'violent and impulsive' to the list as well," the baby said calmly. "We're sure this is the one that saved that little boy?" he asked Yamamoto.

"Indeed." Yamamoto said. "Miss Kuchiki's report identifies him as the one, Lord Koenma."

"Lord?" Yusuke said incredulously. "You mean to tell me that the Soul Reapers get their marching orders from a _toddler_?" He laughed loudly. "That's hilarious! Has he declared war on broccoli yet? Or is he worried that nobody would be left to change him if he did?"

"Very funny," Koenma said over Yusuke's laughter, not sounding amused in the least. "But I assure you that in addition to understanding the vast mysteries of the universe, I am quite potty-trained."

This only made Yusuke laugh harder. "Lord Koenma, I must protest," Yamamoto said. "I see no reason to believe that this boy would change his ways once he regains his life!"

Koenma wagged a finger at the Head Captain. "Oh, but Genryusai," he said, "it's just like young Yusuke said. You don't know him. You're letting your first impression get the better of you. People are rarely what they appear to be. After all, there was no reason to believe that he would have given his life to save that boy either. He surprised us once. I want to see if he will surprise us again."

"I can't believe the toddler is the one who is being mature and open-minded here," Yusuke wheezed, wiping a tear from his eye. "So I'm guessing the ordeal was your idea?" he asked the screen.

"You guess correctly," Koenma answered. "And now that I am satisfied that you are committed to this ordeal, I will explain what you need to do. Genryusai?" Yamamoto nodded and stepped forward. He handed Yusuke a single golden egg, no bigger than his palm. "This egg is the key to your ordeal," Koenma said.

"You want me to make you breakfast?" Yusuke joked.

"Hardly," Koenma said. "The egg is the home of a spirit beast. All you need to do is carry it with you until it hatches."

"It can't be that easy," Yusuke said, narrowing his eyes. "Otherwise it would be the worst ordeal ever. What's the catch?"

"It's simple," Koenma explained. "The spirit beast feeds on energy. Specifically, it feeds on the karmic energy generated by your actions from this point forward. If the karma you generate as a Whole is good, the beast will become your guardian and guide you back to life."

"And if I have bad karma?" Yusuke asked.

"Then the beast will consume you and you will transform into a Hollow," Koenma said. "You will be a mindless creature of pure evil that swallows the souls of innocents." He described this horrifying prospect so casually you would think that he was talking about a picnic that was ruined by some meddlesome ants. Yusuke understood the gravity of what that would mean, though, and gasped loudly, thinking about Keiko and his mother. Koenma chuckled. "You needn't worry, Yusuke. Genryusai will assign a Soul Reaper to watch you throughout the ordeal in case the worst should happen. No innocents will be harmed."

Yusuke exhaled the breath he didn't even realize he was holding. That made him feel much better. "All right," he said. "So, if I pass, I get my life back. And if I fail, I turn into a monster and a Soul Reaper would have to kill me. Again. Does that about cover it?"

"Pretty much," Koenma nodded. "If the odds seem too daunting to you, there will be no shame in backing out."

"Not a chance!" Yusuke said, grinning widely. "Ghost stories don't scare me. I just gotta pass the ordeal. Piece of cake!"

"I appreciate your confidence, Yusuke," Koenma said approvingly. "But confidence alone won't be enough. Good luck."

 **Author's Note: Well, this took a little longer than I expected it to. And it's not as long as I originally planned either. I was hoping to include some more scenes after this about the beginnings of the ordeal, but as I wrote them, they felt like the beginning of a whole new chapter and they were ruining the flow of this chapter. Those scenes aren't getting cut, but they just need to be moved to the next chapter for the sake of flow and pacing.**

 **I hate the Soul Society. Even when I was watching Bleach for the first time and getting caught up in how awesome the arc for rescuing Rukia was, I remember thinking, "My God, those backgrounds are so boring! Everything looks the same!" And I was a stupid 14-year-old when I first watched Bleach. The only good things that the Soul Society backdrops ever had going for them were the white tower where Rukia was imprisoned and the hill where the execution was going to take place. Nothing else was visually appealing. And describing such an environment was about the most frustrating thing I have ever done.**

 **But hey, writing the chapter was still fun! And I hope you enjoy reading it, too. Don't forget to leave those reviews! I read every single one of them. Next time: The ordeal begins, and we meet a character that people have been asking me about.**


	3. Chapter 3: The Ordeal (Part 1)

"Geez," Yusuke said irritably. "Out of all the Soul Reapers in all the Thirteen Squads or whatever, they had to choose you, didn't they?" He floated lazily through the sky, looking down at the sleepy Karakura Town.

"It's not like I asked to be your babysitter," Rukia said from the rooftop behind him. "It's going to take everything I have not to stab you before this is all over."

"I love you, too," Yusuke deadpanned. He reached into his pocket and took out the egg, staring at it. "Now, I just gotta figure out a way to build up some good vibes for this thing."

"You could always try helping someone in need," Rukia suggested.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Yusuke snapped. "I'm a ghost, remember? People can't see or hear me, and I can't touch anything down there!"

"You should have thought of that before you so recklessly accepted the ordeal," Rukia said. "If you don't figure something out, you know what will happen."

"You'll finally have a reason to stab me," Yusuke said, nodding. Then he grimaced as the full weight of his words hit him. "Seems like I really jumped the gun here, huh? How am I supposed to do good deeds if I'm a ghost?"

"Forget that!" Rukia said urgently. She jerked as if she had just been poked with a cattle prod. "You've got something more important to worry about!" Yusuke stared at her blankly. She gave an exasperated sigh. "Unless we do something, your body is going to be cremated tonight!"

"Oh, crap!" Yusuke shouted. "Why didn't you say anything sooner!?"  
"Don't give me that!" Rukia shouted back. "It's not my job to keep track of your life! How could you forget about your own body?"

"Hey, it still feels like just an hour ago I died and learned that the afterlife is run by a toddler! I think I'm entitled to be a bit overwhelmed here." Yusuke jumped down to the ground and sprinted down the street. Rukia jumped down after him and asked, "And where are you going?"

"To the funeral home, of course!" Yusuke said. "I gotta stop the cremation or the whole ordeal would be pointless."

"And how are you going to do that?"Rukia asked pointedly. "Wholes such as yourself can't physically interact with anything and people can't see or hear you."

Yusuke stopped running and turned to face Rukia. "That's no good," he said thoughtfully. "There has to be some way to stop the cremation though, or otherwise what would be the point of the ordeal?" He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, thinking for a few seconds. When he opened his eyes, he asked, "Can you do anything about it? Like talk to someone or smash the incinerator?"

"Technically yes," Rukia said cautiously. "But Soul Reapers are forbidden from interfering with the World of the Living unless ordered otherwise."

"Screw that!" Yusuke shouted. "If Koenma wanted to give me this ordeal, he wouldn't want me to fail because of a technicality like this!"

"I won't do it," Rukia said firmly. "There would be an investigation, and I'm not going to risk a court martial when there's another way."

* * *

The old playground had been abandoned for a as long as anyone can remember. The slide was rusted through and the see saw was missing a seat. Half the swings on the swingset were missing their chains and were now just sitting pathetically on the floor. It was almost impossible to see the jungle gym through the jungle of weeds that had been allowed to grow unchecked. A wall in the tall sandbox had somehow been destroyed and all the sand inside was scattered by the wind. This desolate place that was once the source of joy for hundreds of children had since fallen into the hands of delinquents. Four different high school gangs had each claimed the park as their own, and the resulting fights resulted in quite a few trips to the hospital. In the end, the gang from Karakura High School, led by Kazuma Kuwabara and Yasutora "Chad" Sado, stepped in.

They weren't even particularly interested in the park, but Kuwabara and Chad never formed their gang to win territory or fame. THey had a more noble goal: to keep the other gangs in line and keep anyone else from getting hurt. Kuwabara's gang effortlessly defeated the other four gangs in just one week and claimed the playground as their new hideout.

It was here that Yusuke and Rukia were having their conversation about the upcoming cremation. And right as Rukia mentioned another way to save Yusuke's body without inviting the wrath of the Soul Society's legal system, they heard voices approaching them.

"Seriously Kuwabara, that was just embarrassing."

"Will you just lay off already?"

"Who the hell crashes a wake?"

"It's been two days already! Let it go!"

"You know nobody else is going to let it go. People are already giving _us_ a hard time for _your_ outburst."

"I still can't believe we got banned from Yukimura Ramen."

"Urameshi was friends with the owner's daughter. You made him angry by disrespecting the ceremony like that."

"Jeez, not you, too, Chad! I said I was sorry!"

Yusuke and Rukia turned. Kuwabara and Chad were leading the approaching group of boys. They clustered together around the overgrown jungle gym, each holding a plastic bad full of potato chips and soda. "This is perfect," Rukia said as the boys continued their conversation. "You know those boys, don't you?"

"I only really know Kuwabara and Chad," Yusuke answered. "And I really don't see how they could possibly have anything to do with this."

Rukia smiled. "If any of them has a sufficiently powerful spiritual pressure, then you can temporarily override their consciousness and then take control of their body."

Yusuke grinned in return. "Then I can track down my body and swipe it!"

Rukia's smile faded and she sighed. "I thought we were trying to _avoid_ negative energy."

"Fine," Yusuke sighed back. "Then what if I talk someone into stopping the cremation?"

Rukia nodded approvingly. "That should work." She turned toward the boys. "Now, I'm going to release some energy. If any of them sense it, we have a winner." She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. Yusuke felt a gentle push on his neck. It reminded him of the sensation he felt when he met Head Captain Yamamoto, only not nearly as overpowering. Rukia's energy felt less like an avalanche and more like a gentle spring breeze.

Chad subtly turned his head and stared at Rukia. Yusuke had to remind himself that Rukia was invisible to humans. Almost immediately afterward, he was distracted by Kuwabara's loud yelp. Kuwabara had fallen and was now scrambling to his feet, frantically looking in all directions.

"What's wrong, Kuwabara?" one of the other boys asked.

"It was the tickle feeling," Kuwabara stammered. "Ever since I was little, I could sometimes tell when ghosts were nearby. I feel it on the back of my neck, like cool water trickling down my back and tickling me."

"If it was just a tickle then why did you scream like a little girl?" his friend asked, snickering.

"This time was different," Kuwabara said ominously. "Instead of a tickle, this felt more like a mountain collapsing on top of my neck!"

Chad turned away from Rukia and said to Kuwabara, "Then that means that this ghost is dangerous." Kuwabara nodded. Their friends started to panic and ran off, screaming about vengeful spirits. Kuwabara beckoned Chad to follow, and walked after them. Chad hesitated, glancing over his shoulder at Yusuke and Rukia, but followed Kuwabara shortly afterward.

Yusuke glanced at Rukia. "Well, looks like we have two winners."

"So you noticed," Rukia said. "I'm impressed."

"Yeah, I'm pretty great." Yusuke said sarcastically. "Don't patronize me." Rukia started to retort, but he interrupted her saying, "Anyway, something's bothering me. Chad sensed you first, but Kuwabara had a stronger reaction. What does that mean?"

"It could mean one of two things," Rukia explained. "Either Chad has a stronger spiritual pressure and can thus adjust to my energy more efficiently or Kuwabara is more spiritually aware and thus able to comprehend my power more precisely. Or both."

"We should follow them," Yusuke said, floating off. "We're running out of time."

Rukia followed close behind. As they closed in on the boys, she asked. "What do you plan to do? You'll only have an hour once you possess someone."

"Possess Chad and find Keiko, of course," Yusuke said. "Wasn't that your idea?"

"Why Chad? And why Keiko? Wouldn't it make more sense to talk to your mother?"

"Mom's been through a lot already," Yusuke said. "Knowing her, she probably tried to drown her sorrows last night and is sleeping off the hangover. If that's the case, nothing short of a live rock concert is going to wake her up. But Keiko is at school today. I'm sure of it."

"Okay, but why Chad?" Rukia asked curiously. "Kuwabara's higher spirit awareness plus your extensive history makes him a more ideal choice."

Yusuke made a face. "I don't wanna risk getting stuck in that idiot's body forever!" he said defiantly. "I'd rather fail the ordeal right now!" Before Rukia could say anything to that, Yusuke launched himself forward. He hurtled toward Chad's head and promptly flew right through him.

"What the hell was that!?" he shouted in frustration.

"Close your eyes and concentrate," Rukia instructed. "Feel Chad's presence and try to synchronize your energy to his."

"Right, right," Yusuke said, closing his eyes. "Use the Force, Luke." He concentrated, trying to feel the energy he felt from Rukia earlier. Soon enough, he felt her warmth, like he was standing next to a campfire. With this familiar feeling in his mind, he turned his attention away from her and faced the spot where the boys were before. This time instead of heat, he felt something closer to wind. Three slight breezes were blowing past him. Yusuke ignored them, and focused on two more powerful gusts moving toward the small breezes. One was a small twister, incredibly powerful, but still just gently pushing the air in front of him. The other was a great cyclone, blowing hot air in all directions. Yusuke smiled. This was surprisingly easy. Confident that he knew what he had to do, he moved.

When Yusuke opened his eyes, he felt different. His clothes were actually rubbing against his skin. Sweat was running down his brow. He felt the ground pushing up against him. It was like he never died at all. The feeling was simultaneously familiar and alien. His clothes didn't feel as baggy as he preferred. The floor seemed a bit farther away than he was used to. And his newly red hair was drooping down in front of his eyes.

"Wait...red hair?" Yusuke said slowly. His voice didn't sound deep and smooth like he expected, but instead he sounded gravelly and kind of...goofy. Yusuke shoved past the other boys to stare at his reflection in a store window. "Oh, crap!" he shouted. "I screwed up and got got stuck with freakin' Kuwabara!" He pulled at his hair in frustration, ignoring the confused stares behind him.

"I guess you two just have a mutual affinity for each other," Rukia giggled behind him.

"SHUT UP!" Yusuke bellowed.

"I just asked if you were okay, Kuwabara," a voice behind him said sadly.

"I don't have time for this," Yusuke grunted. He shoved the other boys aside and ran toward the school. He rounded the corner, not looking back, and saw Rukia running alongside him out of the corner of his eye.

"It's pretty late in the day," Rukia said, looking up at the sun. "School is probably over by now."

"She'll be there," Yusuke said firmly. "She's the class rep and there's a student council meeting today."

"I'm surprised you know that," Rukia replied, "considering how infrequently you attended school. You keeping tabs on this Keiko girl? That's so sweet. A little creepy, but sweet."

Yusuke ignored her as he rounded another corner and barrelled through the school gate. He knocked a few girls over in his haste, but he didn't have time to apologize as he wrenched the front door to the building open. He pushed his way past Mr Takenaka, who spluttered, "Mr Kuwabara, what on earth-?" and practically fell into the student council room.

"Keiko," he panted, doubling over. "I need to talk to Keiko Yukimura." He looked up and his heart sank. The entire student council was staring at him in confusion and alarm, but Keiko was nowhere to be seen.

"Keiko isn't here," a firm voice said. It was a boy with short hair and glasses. "She got permission to leave early to go to the crematorium. It turns out she was quite close to that punk Urameshi." There was a hint of disdain in the boy's voice, but Yusuke ignored it. He scrambled out of the room as the boy shouted after him, "You could at least apologize for interrupting our meeting!"

"That's not good," Rukia said as they ran out of the building. "If I remember correctly, the crematorium was in the opposite direction of where we started. And we only have forty-five minutes left."

"You're not helping," Yusuke grunted. As they raced through the streets, Yusuke felt Kuwabara's phone buzz in his pocket. He wrenched it out of his pants and saw Chad's name on the caller ID. _Great,_ he thought. _Knowing Chad, there's no way I'm getting out of this_. He answered the phone and said, "Hello?"

"Where on earth are you?" Yusuke grimaced. He never heard Chad sound so upset before. It wasn't a pleasant experience.

"I can't talk right now," Yusuke said quickly. "I don't really have time to expl-"

"Then make time!" Chad said angrily. "We swore we wouldn't keep secrets from each other!"

"I can't-"

"Please, Kuwabara!" Chad shouted. "Let me in! We've always had each other's backs!"

"Look, I'm not Kuwabara!" Yusuke said desperately. He stopped at the corner and took a deep breath. Chad started to speak, but Yusuke cut him off saying, "I'm the ghost from the park and I need to borrow your friend's body for a little bit. If you try to stop me, I'll jump out in traffic and let him get killed! Stay out of my way, and I'll give him back to you unharmed in half an hour." Without waiting to hear a reply, Yusuke hung up the phone.

"That was dramatic," Rukia commented.

"There was no time to reason with him," Yusuke said, resuming his mad dash to the crematorium. "Hopefully this will keep him off my back until...there!" He pointed in front of him. There was Keiko, standing outside the funeral home's entrance, talking on the phone.

"Hey, Atsuko, it's Keiko," she was saying. "I'm just calling to remind you that Yusuke's cremation is in an hour. I'm already here getting things ready, so all you gotta do is come here with…" She paused and wiped her eyes. "Just come here with him and I'll meet up with you," she finished. "I guess I'll see you in a bit. Bye." With that, she hung up the phone and walked away. Yusuke made to follow her, but Rukia held her arm up in front of him.

"Hold on a second," she said.

"For what? I don't have time for this!"  
"You have twenty-five minutes. You can afford to spare one for me," Rukia insisted. "We need to plan our approach."

"What's there to plan?" Yusuke asked. "I just gotta tell her to stop the cremation."

"Oh, I'm sure _that_ will go over well," Rukia said sarcastically. "Use your head for a second! What would you think if Kuwabara just randomly ran up to you and told you to stop Keiko's body from being cremated?"  
"Keiko doesn't want to be cremated," Yusuke said. "She said something about turning her body into fertilizer.

"Stop being a stubborn idiot," Rukia said, slapping Yusuke on the back of the head. "You're only going to get one shot at this. You have to figure out a way to convince her that you really are Yusuke Urameshi and that you really are going to come back to life."

Yusuke crossed his arms and closed his eyes. After thinking it over for a moment, an idea came to him. He grinned and gave Rukia a thumbs-up. Rukia smiled weakly and pointed at her wrist. Yusuke nodded and entered the building. Amazingly, he immediately spotted Keiko, who was walking down a hallway by herself, checking her phone. "Still nothing from her," she was saying to herself. "She'd better not be late for her own son's funeral. Who even does that?"

Yusuke walked quickly behind her. There was only going to be one shot at this, so he figured that he had no time to lose. "Hey, Keiko," he called out to her as he reached out his hand. "Nice uniform!"

His hand went up her skirt for a brief second before Keiko screamed, "Yusuke, you jerk!" She whirled around and slapped him, hard. Yusuke let her hit him and purposefully stumbled backward and fell on his back. At this point, Keiko realized who she had slapped and covered her mouth in horror. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I thought you were someone I know, and-"

Yusuke burst out laughing as he sat up. "I knew it," he chuckled, rubbing his cheek. "Nothing in all of hell hurts quite like one of your punches, Keiko." He grinned at her and said, "You were right. It's me, Yusuke." Keiko just stared at him, open-mouthed. "Look, I know this is confusing, but it's really me. I'm just kinda borrowing this guy's body for the moment. Ask me anything and I'll prove it!"

Keiko shook her head. "I don't need to do that," she said. Yusuke pretended not to notice the tears gently rolling down her cheeks. "You're you. I can tell. And it's not just because of what you say or how you laugh. There's an aura about you, Yusuke, that cannot be faked. I'd know it anywhere."

Yusuke heard Rukia sigh behind him. Did she think this was cute or something? "Listen, Keiko, I'm running out of time," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "You see, I can't stay in this body for long. I guess you can say that this is like a rental car and I'm about to lose my license."

"Just tell me what I need to do," Keiko said frantically.

"Right. Well," Yusuke took a deep breath. "I need you to stop the cremation!"

"W-what?" Keiko stammered.

"I don't have time to tell you the whole story," Yusuke said. "But I'm going to come back! All I gotta do is pass this test. So, I need you to keep my body safe, okay?"

Keiko nodded slowly. Yusuke smiled and pulled her into an embrace. "Thanks, Keiko," he whispered.

Keiko started sobbing. "Yusuke, I'm so sorry. I said such awful things to you before you died. The last time we spoke, I called you lazy and a pervert."

"Hey," Yusuke said gently, "you shouldn't say sorry. You were right about me. I should be the one apologizing to you for making you worry about me so much." Keiko hiccupped into Yusuke's shoulder. At the same time, he felt a strange force tugging at him stomach. "I'm almost out of time," he said. "Just do me one more favor? Take care of my mom for me."

"You got it," Keiko choked. "Just...just hold me a little longer. Please." And Yusuke did, right up until he was pulled out of Kuwabara's body.

* * *

Kuwabara didn't know here he was or how he got there. He didn't know who the girl that was hugging him so tightly was, but she was wearing their school uniform. And he wasn't going to complain that a cutie like her was so into him. He chuckled to himself and pulled her in closer. At that moment, the girl gasped and kicked him between the legs. Kuwabara's knees buckled, and as he doubled over in pain, the girl said, "Sorry." and ran off.

"No, it's fine," he wheezed. "I probably deserved it."

* * *

"On the whole, I'd say today worked out pretty good," Yusuke said, grinning. The sun had set outside his old home, and he and Rukia were lazily floating after Keiko as she made her way home. Surprisingly, Yusuke's mother needed very little convincing that her son would soon come back to life. Apparently, his body was already starting to show signs of color, and his skin was already warm to the touch. "Now that I've guaranteed my body's safety, all I have to worry about is doing some good deeds and getting my life back."

"Don't be too sure," Rukia said, not looking up from her cell phone. "From where I'm sitting, it looks like you blackmailed Chad, threatened Kuwabara's life, and touched Keiko inappropriately. On the whole, your karma is probably on the negative side."

"Hey, come on, I had no choice!" Yusuke said wildly. "It's not like I actually hurt anybody!"

"Imagine the emotional distress you put poor Chad through," Rukia said.

"Kuwabara is fine!" Yusuke protested. "And he called Chad as soon as he got his body back anyway!"

"Whatever," Rukia said dismissively. "Regardless, your ordeal has only just begun." She put her phone away. "Take the rest of the night off. I have a mission to take care of."

She left without another word. Yusuke trailed behind her, saying, "I thought _I_ was your mission."

"What, you need me to hold your hand all the time?" Rukia scoffed. "My life doesn't revolve around you, you know."

"Okay, okay," Yusuke said, shrugging. "So, what's the mission?"

"There's a Hollow nearby," Rukia explained. She still had not turned around to look at Yusuke, instead focusing only on moving forward.

"Hollow?" Yusuke asked. "Isn't that the monster that I could turn into if I fail the ordeal?"

"That's right," Rukia answered. "Hollows are creatures of pure evil, living only to consume souls. It is the primary mission of all Soul Reapers to protect humans and Wholes alike from Hollows."

Yusuke whistled. "Sounds dangerous."

"Very," Rukia agreed. "So I'm sure you understand why I need you to stay out of the way."

"And I'm sure you understand why I have to go with you," Yusuke said.

"Glad we ag-what!?" Rukia's normally calm exterior had shattered. She had come to a halt and looked at Yusuke, completely dumbfounded. "You can't come with me! It's too dangerous!"

"What's dangerous is leaving me by myself when there are Hollows around," Yusuke countered. "You just said that they eat ghosts. You expect me to not want to stay close to the one trained to fight these monsters?"

Rukia sighed. "You do realize that I'm going to be moving _toward_ the Hollow, right?"

Yusuke nodded. "It's still safer for me to stick with you. In case there's more than one roaming about." Rukia bit her lip hesitantly. "You know," Yusuke added, "keeping an eye on me is still your mission. The old man probably wouldn't be happy with you shirking your duty."

Rukia grimaced. "Fine, do what you want! Just stay out of my way!"

"You got it," Yusuke said, giving a small salute. Rukia rolled her eyes and started running. Yusuke followed close behind her, quietly thankful that she wasn't heading toward his mother's house. They ran together in silence, moving from the heart of Karakura Town to the outskirts. Rukia suddenly stopped and jumped to the roof of a small grocery store. Yusuke floated up to her as she looked down at the small neighborhood.

"It was last spotted somewhere in this area," Rukia said. "The day before I met you, I briefly fought against it, but it, but it escaped before I could defeat it."

"What makes you so sure it'll even come back here?" Yusuke asked.

"This particular Hollow has been stalking the residents of that home over there," she answered, pointing at the building in question. "They run a clinic out of their home, and the Hollow enjoys targeting the desperate souls of the patients."

"So it sneaks in and eats the souls of patients already clinging to life?" Yusuke clenched his fists. "That sort of crap really pisses me off!"

"Easy," Rukia cautioned. "I understand your anger, but you absolutely can _not_ fight a Hollow. I don't care how many fights you've been in, you wouldn't stand a chance in this one."

"Yeah, yeah, I know…" Yusuke glanced around. Everything on the street looked normal. "But how do you even know it's coming back tonight?"

Rukia held up her phone. "I managed to place a tracker on the Hollow as it was escaping," she explained. "The tracker sent an alert to my phone as soon as the Hollow returned to the World of the Living."

"So why can't we follow the tracker straight to the Hollow?" Yusuke asked.

Rukia showed him the screen. It showed a map of Karakura Town. And in the area they were in, dozens upon dozens of dots were blinking, scattered in all directions. "The tracker works by emitting spirit energy," Rukia explained. "Sort of like a radio antenna emitting radio waves. The Hollow knows that spirit energy can be tracked, and it also knows that it was lucky to escape me last time. So in order to hide its presence, it is blasting its spiritual pressure out in all directions, creating dozens of false alarms."

"Great!" Yusuke said sarcastically. "So does that mean you can't pinpoint its location at all?"

"I never said that." Rukia pointed to a blank spot on the phone's map. "The Hollow is hoping to overwhelm me with a hurricane of spiritual pressure. But as I'm sure you know, the eye of a hurricane is calm and still."

"So the Hollow is in that area?" Yusuke asked. Rukia nodded. "So what the hell are we doing here?" he asked frustratedly. "It's all the way over there!"

"Because that's what it wants," Rukia explained calmly. "If it wanted to hide, it would have just kept all its energy inside its body and not make any signal at all. Then I would have been able to follow the tracker and take it by surprise. But it didn't do that. Instead, it used a roundabout deception that turns out to be completely inefficient and ineffective. It might as well be trying to hide while wearing a neon sign around its neck."

"So it's a trap," Yusuke said thoughtfully.

"Exactly," Rukia said, nodding. "And it would be foolish to wander into an enemy's trap, wouldn't you agree? But we know that the Hollow will return here. It cannot resist the chance to torment the souls of the desperate and the dying. And when it does, I will be ready."

"That's a heck of a gamble," Yusuke said. He exhaled slowly. "I don't like it." Rukia blinked with surprise. She started to retort, but Yusuke interrupted her. "You're betting everything on the idea that you know how this monster thinks."

"I do know how it thinks!" Rukia retorted. "I had been tracking it for weeks and constructing a psychological profile before I even engaged it the first time."

"But you chased it off before," Yusuke continued. "And now it's scared of you. This little stunt with the tracker proves it. And if I learned anything from my time fighting people, it's that when people are scared, they start acting unpredictable."

"What are you saying?" Rukia asked.

"I'm saying," Yusuke said, trying not to lose his temper. He had to make her understand. "That for all your experience and training and whatever, you're not perfect. If you were, you wouldn't have let the Hollow get away the first time."

"How dare-"

"And," Yusuke continued over her objections, "you still refuse to consider the possibility that you can be wrong. You just _know_ that it's gonna come back here? Give me a break! Nobody can possibly know that for certain! What do you think will happen if your brilliant plan fails?"

Rukia blinked. "Fails? I-"

"You never thought about it at all, did you?" Yusuke said flatly.

"Shut up! Of course I did!" Rukia shouted back. She took a deep breath and continued, calmly, "There are two possible ways the ambush can fail. One is that the Hollow notices me before I can make my move. In that case, it will either retreat before I have a chance to destroy it or it will try to attack me first, which can possibly hurt my chances of defeating it. Alternatively, as you said, the Hollow might refuse to come to the clinic tonight. In that case, no harm done. It will come back here eventually. It can't resist preying on the vulnerable patients here. I'll just need to come back here every night until I can make my move."

"No harm done!?" Yusuke shouted. "Are you kidding me? Every day that monster lives is a day that someone can get hurt! You said that Soul Reapers protect people from Hollows, didn't you? Well, if you're serious about that, then isn't it your duty to take out the Hollows before it gets anyone else!? Or are you so afraid of it that you would rather sacrifice innocent people you have no idea what's out there!?"

"Don't talk like you know what you're talking about!" Rukia shouted back. "You have no idea what the Hollows are like! They hunt down souls for fun! It's not like they need to eat them to survive, it's just entertainment for them! These monsters cannot be taken lightly! If I have to leave someone to die to ensure that the Hollow will die, then there is no alternative! If you had to choose between ten people dying or a hundred people dying, what would you pick, huh?"

"I wouldn't let anybody die, damn it!" Yusuke yelled defiantly. "And neither should you!" The two of them glared at each other for a moment before turning away in a huff. Yusuke chewed the inside of his cheek in frustration. He had to make her see somehow. _Maybe if...no, that wouldn't work_ , he thought to himself. He sighed and looked over his shoulder. Rukia was muttering to herself and flicking her sword in and out of its sheath. And then, somehow, they moved as one, turning to face each other.

"Listen," she said while he simultaneously said, "Look." The two of them stopped and tried to listen to what the other had to say. After an awkward silence, they both tried to start again, only to stammer in confusion as they heard the other talking at the same snickered. "What's so funny?" Rukia asked in frustration.

"This," Yusuke answered. "We keep cutting each other off." He chuckled again, and shook his head. "Just say what you gotta say, Rukia. I'll hear you out, okay?"

Rukia nodded and took a deep breath. "You're right," she said softly, talking to her feet. "I'm taking a risk when it comes to this plan. Someone could die. I understand that. I understood that going in, too." She looked up at him, waiting for a response. When he didn't say anything, she continued, "But I have no choice. Yeah, I'm trained to fight Hollows, I know. But that means that I have to recognize what the best strategies are in any situation. And this Hollow...I don't think I can defeat it in a straight fight."

"Didn't you wound it before?" Yusuke asked. "Isn't it afraid of you?"

"Well, yes," Rukia answered. "But, well…" She took another breath. "I didn't leave that encounter unscathed either." She winced and clutched at her side. "This particular Hollow can secrete some kind of venom. It's been interfering with my ability to use my spirit energy. It doesn't completely prevent me from using my powers, but it takes more effort than normal and my effectiveness in battle is inconsistent at best. That sort of uncertainty could be fatal."

"So, you want to make sure that you can win in spite of that by setting up an ambush?" Yusuke asked.

"Exactly," Rukia said.

"Then the answer is simple," Yusuke said, smirking. "You do the ambush anyway. Only we're not waiting for the Hollow to show up. We're gonna force the issue."

* * *

Kurosaki Clinic had been unusually busy recently. The little boy that was nearly killed in the car accident was only the most recent in a string of freak accidents that had been springing up in the area over the past month. Doctor Isshin Kurosaki had had his hands full dealing with the overflow from the local hospital. He was the only doctor working at the small clinic, and his facility was just the bottom floor of his house. The only person that came close to filling the role of nurse was his eleven-year-old daughter Yuzu, and while she was skilled in basic first aid and had excellent bedside manner, she was not suited for actual nursing work. And with the recent dramatic increase in patients, she just couldn't keep up with her father. Isshin's other two children, Karin and Ichigo, had neither the skills nor the interest in helping them with their work, so it was only inevitable that a few patients were lost.

The first time a patient died in the clinic, Yuzu cried herself to sleep. She had never seen her father fail, and she blamed herself for not giving him the support he needed. It took Karin three hours to get her to go back to work after that. And even then, things got worse before they got better. Two more patients died over the course of the week. More and more patients kept coming in. Ichigo had said that they should refuse them, citing a lack of space and resources in the clinic, but Isshin and Yuzu shouted him down. They refused to let anyone go without treatment.

Isshin said that things were going to start slowing down soon, though. A full twenty-four hours had passed since the boy from the traffic accident was admitted, and his wounds were thankfully only superficial. Both he and five other patients were released that day. In celebration, he had insisted on cooking for his children, a job that usually was handled by Yuzu since his wife Masaki's untimely death. Once the family was reminded why Isshin didn't do the cooking and Yuzu had stepped in to salvage the dinner, for the first time in over a month, the Kurosaki family ate and laughed together without a care in the world.

And then something strange happened. Without any sort of apparent cause, the dining room wall exploded and caved in. Yuzu and Isshin screamed and stumbled backward, as a boy wearing a green jumpsuit fell through the hole where the wall used to be and through the table, somehow leaving the food untouched.

"Dammit," the boy groaned, pushing himself up off the floor. Somehow, his body passed through the table without even touching anything. "That thing's faster than I thought."

Ichigo gasped. "Urameshi?" he asked in shock. "What are you doing here?"

Yuzu gasped. "The boy from your class who died in the car accident?"

Urameshi turned and gaped at Ichigo. "Wait, what? You can see me?"

"Yeah, yeah, we can see ghosts," Karin said, rolling her eyes. "Now, do you have a reason for destroying our home or was it just for fun?"

Urameshi shook his head, "You gotta get out of here, now!" he said urgently. "There's a monster out there and-"

Right on cue, a girl wearing black robes and carrying a sword was sent flying into the room from outside and crashed into Urameshi. The two of them fell back through the table and landed in a tangled heap on the floor.

"Well, being dead must have its perks," Karin deadpanned. "You just went to his funeral yesterday, right, Ichigo? He already has a ghost girlfriend."

"Wait, there are ghosts here? Is that what's going on?" Isshin asked, looking absolutely confused.

"What part of monster do you guys not get?" Urameshi shouted in frustration. "Get out of here NOW!" Before any of Kurosakis could react, the monster climbed into the house through the hole that Urameshi made. It was huge, standing at about nine feet tall. Its limbs were long and lanky, and the way it hunched over sort of reminded Ichigo of a gorilla. Its skin was gray, but its face was covered by a strange white mask with yellow eyes and a permanent toothy grin painted on. But even more striking than the mask was the large hole that was in the center of its chest.

The monster's appearance's effect on the women of the Kurosaki family was palpable. Karin's face went pure white as she stumbled backward and fell over a chair. Yuzu, who couldn't see ghosts but could feel their presence, fell to her knees and vomited. Isshin couldn't see or hear anything that was going on, but upon seeing his daughters' distress, started babbling panickedly. As Urameshi and the girl pushed themselves to their feet, Ichigo ran in front of his sisters and said, "Urameshi, what the hell is that thing?"

The girl answered before Urameshi even opened his mouth. "A Hollow," she explained. "A monster born of the human souls that failed to pass on to the Soul Society. Corrupted and twisted by their resentment toward their death, they turn their rage on others, consuming the souls of humans and Wholes alike." She held her sword over her head in a ready stance. "I suggest you take your family and run. You, too, Yusuke."

"Like hell!" Urameshi shouted defiantly. He charged at the Hollow, bellowing a war cry. The Hollow made a strange guttural sound that sounded like a laugh, and dropped a massive fist toward Urameshi. Urameshi went into a slide, speeding up exceptionally, dodging the fist and sliding under the monster's legs. As he was sliding, he twisted his body, wrapped his arms around the Hollow's massive leg and pulled.

The Hollow didn't fall, but it was confused and distracted by the sudden weight on its leg. The girl seized the opportunity this distraction provided. Putting one foot forward, she held her sword to the side and pointed at the Hollow with the index and middle fingers of her free hand. "Bakudo number one! Sai!" she said dramatically. The Hollow's arms were suddenly behind its back, and it seemed unable to move them. It howled in pain and struggled, but was unable to move its arms. The girl smirked and leapt toward the Hollow, holding her sword in both hands.

The Hollow kicked its legs out at the girl, sending Urameshi flying directly at her. She twisted in the air to avoid colliding with him, but her attack had now gone wildly off course. Instead of slicing it across the face like she planned, her sword instead nicked its shoulder. As she started falling toward the ground, the Hollow headbutted her. As she fell backward, reeling from the headbutt, the Hollow snapped its jaws at her and sunk its teeth into her leg. She screamed in pain and dropped her sword. At that very moment, the Hollow regained control of its arms and grabbed the girl by the hair. It let go of her leg as it dangled her in front of its face, laughing. "You think you are so strong, Soul Reaper," it growled. Ichigo blinked in surprise. He didn't even think that the monster would be capable of something as human as speech. "You have been a thorn in my side for too long for someone so weak. I will enjoy consuming you."

"Rukia!" Urameshi shouted as he shoved himself to his feet. He sprinted toward the Hollow, but he was way too far away to reach them on time. Ichigo looked over his shoulder and saw Isshin carrying his sisters out of the room. He sighed with relief and turned to face the Hollow. He ran after Yusuke, but instead of going for the Hollow directly, he instead ran toward the sword that Rukia dropped behind it. He scooped up the blade as the Hollow nonchalantly sent Urameshi flying with a backhand.

As the Hollow, now apparently satisfied with its gloating, pulled Rukia toward his mouth to eat her, Rukia held her palm out in front of her and shouted, "Hado number 33! Sokatsui!" A blue flame shot out of her hand directly into the Hollow's gaping maw. At that same exact moment, Ichigo drove the sword into the Hollow's leg. The Hollow screamed in pain and dropped Rukia. Its lumbering body stumbled and collapsed. Ichigo scrambled away from the falling beast as Rukia landed gracefully on top of the Hollow's back. She crouched and pulled the sword out of the Hollow's leg, then silently pushed the sword through the back of the Hollow's head. Ichigo gasped as the sword stuck out through the Hollow's mask, the tip just inches away from his face.

The Hollow stopped moving and fell. Its body dissolved into nothingness as Rukia pulled the sword out of its head and sheathed it. She muttered some incantations that Ichigo couldn't hear, then said, "Come on, Yusuke, let's go. They won't remember any of this come morning."

"Hang on a second! What the hell is going on?" Ichigo said as she ran out of the hole in the wall. Urameshi gave him an apologetic look before following her into the night.

 **Author's Note: IT'S FINALLY DONE! OH MY GOD, IT'S FINALLY FINALLY DONE!**

 **This was a long time coming, and I deeply apologize for the long wait between chapters. I've had a hell of a busy few months. I've got a new job as a truck driver that's eaten up all my time. I've begun work with an artist friend of mine on an original comic book that's been taking up all of my free time (And yes, when that is ready, I will let you all know if you're interested). Oh, and I got engaged. So, that's a thing.**

 **But I never stopped working on the fanfics. For those of you who were paying attention to my profile, you might have noticed that I was also working on a Mass Effect oneshot. This was something that I was writing in a notebook in between stops during my truck routes. Unfortunately, that notebook has gone missing, along with everything related to that fic, meaning I have to start from square one. Over 4,000 words, gone. I will be working on reconstructing that, but I'd expect a chapter of Neville Longbottom next.**

 **Okay, hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave your reviews, and keep your fingers crossed that it won't take another 6-7 months for my next post.**


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